Bryce Mitchell and Sean O’Malley continue to rub each other the wrong way, but only Mitchell is talking about actually fighting O’Malley in the cage.
Don’t joke about Bryce Mitchell’s recent troubles unless you’re willing to climb into the cage and back those words up.
That’s the message coming from “Thug Nasty” after bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley mocked the No. 11 ranked featherweight following his loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 282. That defeat snapped an impressive 15 fight win streak for Mitchell, and was so demoralizing it left the 28 year old briefly contemplating retirement.
In a recent interview with ESPN, Mitchell admitted he was sick with the flu but couldn’t afford to withdraw from the Topuria fight, which “El Matador” won in dominant fashion via second round submission.
“I had a couple thousand bucks in my bank account and they (UFC) told me that, ‘If you don’t take this fight, we’re not finding you one until February,’” Mitchell said. “They said they’re booked. So, it’s like you can live off a couple thousand bucks in your bank or you can f—king fight Dec. 10 and if not, f—k off until February.”
“I was going in there with the flu to kick somebody’s ass, anyways. That just wasn’t the case. I wasn’t capable of kicking anybody’s ass that night. I was capable of taking an ass-kicking, I did that pretty well.”
Sean O’Malley saw those comments and took a shot at Mitchell, tweeting “Damn B hit me up I could spot you 20$ next time.”
Damn B hit me up I could spot you 20$ next time
— Sean O’Malley (@SugaSeanMMA) January 7, 2023
Mitchell did not appreciate the kick while he was down, which is just the latest jibe from O’Malley after “Suga” implied he was inbred.
@SugaSeanMMA keep ur 20 bucks. if u need sum acres holler at me. or a haircut. i can hook u up with both
— Bryce Mitchell (@ThugnastyMMA) January 9, 2023
@SugaSeanMMA ur makin it real personal. talkin bout my family n money. will u take the fite tho? no one likes a dude whos all talk
— Bryce Mitchell (@ThugnastyMMA) January 9, 2023
“Keep ur 20 bucks. if u need sum acres holler at me. or a haircut. i can hook u up with both,” he replied. “Ur makin it real personal. Talkin bout my family n money. Will u take the fite tho? No one likes a dude whos all talk.”
Honestly, an O’Malley vs. Mitchell fight sounds pretty great to us. It’s two of the strangest characters in the UFC going mano a mano, it’s a classic striker vs. grappler match-up, and both guys are legit ranked badasses. If this was Japan, the contracts would already be sent out.
Alas, Sean O’Malley currently sits right on the door of a bantamweight title shot. And while we doubt he’s next for Aljamain Sterling, he’s not going to mess around with any fight that doesn’t guarantee him a crack at the 135 pound belt. And Bryce Mitchell at 145 pounds just doesn’t do that.
Maybe Mitchell will have to follow through on his past threat of fighting O’Malley on sight, since that seems like an accepted way of landing a fight in the UFC these days.